In 2010, Microsoft launched the Bing Rewards program that allows its members to generate points based on searching on Bing. The points can be collected and exchanges for special prizes such as gift cards, Microsoft Points and more.

Late Friday, Microsoft announced a new avenue for Bing Rewards members to get points. In a post on the Bing blog, the company revealed that exploring and using MSN.com, Microsoft's news and media site, can now add to a person's Bing Rewards score. It states:

Bing Rewards members are now able to keep track of their credit balance right from the MSN homepage. From getting things done with the help of Bing’s search results to catching up on the news that matters most to you on MSN, we’re delighted to enhance the benefits and experience of using both Bing and MSN every day.

The MSN.com support for Bing Rewards is just for U.S. residents at the moment, and it also won't work with the Windows 8 version of MSN.com. If you live in the US, you can surf over to the site to see the new Rewards icon at the top of the page. Signing into Bing Rewards will show users their current point balances along with new challenges that can be completed to earn more points.

Microsoft's blog post also said today that there are currently over 3 million Bing Rewards members since it launched nearly three years ago.